Classic Italy May 14, 2017 - Capri Tour

spa_bob

We will be arriving in Naples on the 13th. I've seen several recommendations concerning the boat trip around Capri. How does one arrange this? Are tickets obtained in advance or can you purchase them at the pier or the hotel? What other information does anyone have? It sounds like a good way to spend the 14th. before the reception.
Thanks.

AlanS

You can do it a couple of ways- online before you go, through the hotel concierge, or upon arrival at Capri. The ferry from Sorrento drops you off at the Marina Grande which is where the 'round island tours depart from. Most boats stop at the Blue Grotto, but that requires a separate ticket. There is more than one company providing boat tours. You can take a larger tour boat or a smaller speed boat. We hired a city guide from DriverinItaly who met us at the hotel at about 0830 and escorted us to the ferry and throughout the day. He purchased tickets for us for everything (we paid) but he was able to enter the ticket office through a back door which saved time- we got off the ferry and in just a few minutes got on the 'round island boat just before it departed.

The day wasn't cheap, but well worth it to us from a knowledge, timing, coordination, less stress perspective. It was a wonderful day. We returned to Sorrento about 1.5 - 2 hrs before the welcome reception.

Search for my post in the Classic Italy, Small Groups forum for more details.

JohnKS

I posted the following in an earlier thread.

My wife and I took this trip last year during the last couple weeks in May. We arrived a day early and had our travel agent set up a private tour of Capri through the concierge at the Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. The tour was set up as follows:

8:00am Meet your Private Guide at the concierge desk

Jet Boat to Capri

Took the around the Island Boat Trip

We were able to enter the Blue Gratto as the seas were favorable that day. My wife just loved this part of the tour.

Private Capri-Limousine to Anacapri

Chair lift to the top of the Island Monte Solara. This was great and we both enjoyed the lift ride.

Private Capri-Limousine down to Capri Town

Brief walking orientation to the Augustus Gardens

Some free time for strolling around and lunch.

Capri Island Funicular train down to Capri Port.

Hydrofoil back to Sorrento.

We had a great day as the weather cooperated and our guide was super. She kept us on task and budgeted our time wisely. I'm not certain we could have seen and done as much as we did without her. We arrived back to Sorrento around 4:30 or so and had plenty of time to get ready for the dinner at 6 pm. The trip to Capri is worth your time even if you don't do a tour.

This was our first trip to Europe and we had a great time on the Classic Italy Tour.

spa_bob

Thanks for the feedback. What are we talking about in terms of cost (not that we don't already have quite a bit invested in this trip)? It certainly sounds like an ideal way of seeing Capri, but this will be our first "stop" and we need to budget our spending money.

British

I guess it is too late for you now, if i might suggest arriving two days early, chilling out a little the first day, gettting over some of the jet lag, feeling some of the ambience, finding the most economical way of doing Capri the next day when getting up about 6-30 in order to meet your guide by 8am, or taking the ferry yourselves and using one of the many guides waiting for tourists in Capri to take you around, is a little bit easier and trading off the difference in a super dooper tour and the price of an extra night in the hotel and a cheaper but slightly more relaxing taste of Capri.
We stayed on Capri on the Tauck tour we did of that area, it was lovely to have extra time there.
Regarding spending money in Italy, i generally find that it's expensive and you can buy the same back in the US cheaper. Example, I love pottery of just about any description, bought a couple of pieces In San Giamongiano and with in a couple Of weeks saw one of them, exactly the same in Homegoods, much cheaper.
On most Tauck tours there is no need to budget for anything because almost everything is included and in Italy there are no bargains. Even Italian Olive oil is not the best, it can legally be adulterated with other things whereas there are a few other countries that have stricter quality control and actually California has the same higher standard.

JohnKS

SpaBob,

I guess you would need to contact the concierge at Hotel Excelsior Vittoria to find out the rate for this year. I think I paid 400 euros for the day and I then tipped the guide at the end of the day. In my post above I entered the information from the brochure we received from the hotel through our travel agent. Although the tour started at 8 I requested it start a bit later. Our first night we stayed at the Sorrento Hilton booked through Tauck.

The evening of our first night at the Hilton I received a call from the concierge at the Excelsior Vittoria explaining to me that they had made arrangements to have us picked up at the Hilton sometime around 8:30 am or so and brought to the Excelsior Vittoria. The hotel staff secured our bags and we meet our guide at the concierge's desk and enjoyed the day on Capri with our guide. Everything was very well coordinated by the hotel staff. Expensive, yes, but I didn't do anything but enjoy the day stress free.

BobTeach

I arranged this Capri tour through the hotel concierge. Emailed the hotel inquiring about trips to Capri, they responded within a couple of hours, and one more email to accept and confirm my reservation. Enjoy your trip.

AlanS

Though I didn't book through the concierge we had the same wonderful experience on Capri. See my post (#3 at this link) for my write-up and a few photos.

You must remember, the guide providers and concierge's have been doing this for a loooong time now, not only for hundreds (thousands?) of Tauck travelers but for bazillion US and other tourists, so they know what they are doing. If you book on your own, just be sure it is not with a fly-by-night outfit (check their reviews on TripAdvisor, etc.) and that you specify a licensed, English-speaking guide. A licensed guide will have a special medallion usually hanging from a chain or lanyard around his neck that certifies he has a license. While he is providing guide services, the medallion also gets him free admission to most places you will be visiting- you shouldn't have to pay for that. Non-licensed guides can get cited, arrested, and severely fined- our TD said he had to be careful that he didn't talk to us too much from the front of the bus where he could be seen by the local police and Carbiniere.

spa_bob

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback.